CRACKING

COMPREHENSION

Year 5

Teaching and
Assessment Guide
Kate Ruttle

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 Unit 1 • FICTION

The Little White Horse

Elizabeth Goudge

  1 They had come to the edge of a clearing in the wood, a desolate place like
a quarry strewn with boulders, with stagnant pools of water between the
rocks. On three sides the rock rose up sheer like a wall and crowning the
wall the way they were facing was a castle built foursquare like a tower, so
old that it looked like part of the rock upon which it was built. Upon each
side of it, except just this side where its great gate looked down upon the
clearing, the pine trees closed about it with the darkness of night. It was a
terrifying castle. The only way to reach it, as far as Maria could see, was to
climb up the flight of steps that had been cut in the cliff beneath; and to
do that they would have to leave the shelter of the pine trees and cross the
clearing under the eyes of whoever might be looking out of that window
above the gate.
13 “There’s another way,” whispered Robin. “Wrolf showed it to me when we
were here before.
15 Look, he’s leading us that way now.”
16 They went back among the pine trees, turned to their left in a wide half-circle
and began to climb steeply upwards, climbing over the rocks that had
pushed themselves out of the ground between the pine trees, and pushing
their way through thickets of bramble bushes. … Then they swerved round
to the right again, and they had come right round to the back of the castle.
Its frowning walls rose sheer up above them. But there was no door here. No
window even. Nothing but the great high wall, as high as the tallest pine
tree, with battlements along the top.
24 “We climb up the tallest tree, and then onto the battlements,” explained
Robin airily. “I tried it the other day to see if it could be done, and it’s quite
easy.”’

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 Unit 1 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 “They had come to the edge of a clearing in the wood, a desolate place like a quarry strewn
2g
with boulders, with stagnant pools of water between the rocks.” (paragraph 1)

Underline one word in this sentence that warns the reader that the clearing is an unpleasant place. 1 mark

2 “On three sides the rock rose up sheer like a wall” (paragraph 1)
2g
What is the effect of the simile “like a wall” in this sentence?
1 mark

2d
3 How do you think Maria felt when she looked up at the castle and knew she had to go in?
1 mark

2b
4 How does Robin know the way into the castle?
1 mark

5 a) Find two different words the author uses instead of ‘said’ in the text.

b) Explain why the author chose one of those words.

2a/2g

2 marks

6 How does the author create an atmosphere of danger?

Explain two impressions, using evidence from the text to support your answer.

2d

3 marks

7 “Its frowning walls rose sheer up above them.” (paragraph 3)

2a
What is the meaning and effect of the word “frowning” in this sentence?
1 mark

8 Do you think Maria and Robin will manage to get into the castle? Explain your answer, thinking
2e
about other adventure stories you have read.
1 mark

9 Tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.

True False
The woods seemed safe.
There was a way up at the back.
The castle looked scary. 2b

Maria thought that it looked easy to do.

2 marks

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 Unit 2 • FICTION

The Winged Horse

  1 A lone seagull was flying over the barren country of Kisthene, swooping,
soaring, a bright white streak in the gathering dusk.
  3 All at once, there was a movement below. Medusa the Gorgon darted out of
hiding, and her stony glance pierced the seagull like an arrow, and turned it
into solid rock. The bird fell headlong out of the sky.
  6 Medusa and her sister Gorgons ran capering over the rocks, snarling and
clawing as they fought over the dead bird. Stone prey: their joy and their
delight since time began.
  9 A thousand miles away, Perseus sat talking with three gods: Hades, Hermes
and Athene.
11 “Perseus,” said Athene, “you must kill Medusa, and bring back her sliced-off
head. Borrow Hermes’ winged sandals, to carry you to her lair. Take Hades’
helmet of invisibility to help you creep up on her unseen. And take my
mirror-shield to save you from her stony glance.”
15 The gods vanished, and Perseus buckled on his sword, and put Hades’
helmet on his head and Hermes’ sandals on his feet. Then he took Athene’s
glittering shield and flew, wind-fast, to Kisthene and the Gorgons’ lair.
18 The three Gorgons were snuffling and snorting in their cave, asleep. Their
snake-hair bristled at the whirr of Perseus’ winged sandals, but he was
invisible: unaware of the danger, Medusa and her sisters slept on.
21 Perseus turned his back on the Gorgons. Then he held up Athene’s
mirror-shield to guide his movements behind his back. He lifted his sword
and sliced off Medusa’s head. It fell on the floor and the deadly eyes
flickered open. If Perseus had been looking straight at them, he would have
been turned to stone.
26 He stuffed the head into a sack. Then he jumped back in amazement. Out of
the blood from Medusa’s neck a winged horse, Pegasus, was appearing and
growing before his eyes.
29 Pegasus stretched his wings, whinnied and pawed the ground. Then, to
Perseus’ surprise, he spoke human words. “Quick, Perseus! Jump on my
back. Hurry!”
32 Perseus scrambled onto Pegasus’ back, and Pegasus reared and beat his
wings for take-off. The sound woke the sleeping Gorgons, and he soared
away just in the nick of time, leaving them clawing angrily at empty air.
35 Pegasus carried Perseus safely home, and set him down in a grassy field.
Then he soared away to his master Zeus, high in Olympus. Perseus watched
him climbing higher and higher, like a dazzling constellation in the sky.

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 Unit 2 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 “Stone prey: their joy and their delight since time began” (paragraph 3). What is “stone prey”? 2a

1 mark
2 Draw lines to show which item Perseus borrowed from each god.
God Item borrowed
Hermes mirror-shield 2b
Hades winged sandals
Athene helmet of invisibility 1 mark

3 a) Find and copy the word that tells you how fast Perseus flew to meet the Gorgons.
2a

b) What does the word mean? 2 marks

4 Look at paragraphs 3, 6 and 7. Find and copy three words the author uses to make the reader 2g
think the Gorgons are animals.
2 marks

5 Describe how Perseus used each of the gods’ belongings to kill Medusa.

a) winged sandals
2b
b) helmet of invisibility

c) mirror-shield 3 marks

6 Do you think Perseus was wise to trust Pegasus?         Yes □  No □
Explain your answer fully, referring to the text.
2d

2 marks

7 “her stony glance pierced the seagull like an arrow” (paragraph 2). Give two reasons why the
author chose to use the word “stony”.
2g

2 marks

8 Perseus is the hero of this legend.

a) What was his heroic task?

2b
b) What did the gods do to help him?
2 marks

9 Suggest an alternative title for this legend and explain why you chose it.
2c

2 marks

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 Unit 3 • FICTION

Oranges in No Man’s Land

Elizabeth Laird

  1 It was a bright morning in Beirut … No, I can’t begin there. I must think
back a bit further, to the place we found to live in after Mama died. I don’t
want to remember the first few days, the panic and confusion and the
aching, aching loss.
  5 It was Latif who found the flat for us. Little brothers do have some uses, I
suppose, although I didn’t often think so then.
  7 The four of us were sitting on a doorstep in a ruined street, feeling hungry
and hopeless, after two days of wandering from place to place. All we’d
thought about was how best to get away from the fighting. We had no food
left, and no idea where we’d spend the night. Granny looked so old and
worn and beaten I could hardly bear to look at her. I think she’d given up
hope. Ahmed was crying.
13 “There are people up there in that window,” Latif suddenly said, pointing
across the road to the first floor of the building opposite. “Look, Granny,
they’re waving to us.”
16 It was the first kind, good thing that had happened to us since the disaster,
and it was how we met Samar (who was ten years old like me) and Samar’s
mother, dear Mrs Zainab, who was the best mother in the world, after mine.
19 A few minutes later, we’d crossed the road, pushed open the broken street
door of the building, gone up the dusty steps and found ourselves in what
must once have been a beautiful flat where rich people had lived.
22 I can remember
standing in the
doorway looking
round in amazement.
I’d never been in such
a place before. The
windows had all been
blown out, and there
were gaping holes in
the walls where shells
had blasted through,
but you could still see
how magnificent it
had been in the old
days.

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 Unit 3 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Is the narrator older or younger than Latif?

2d
Write a quotation from the text that supports your answer.

1 mark

2b
2 List the people who were sitting on the doorstep in the ruined street.

1 mark

2d
3 What do you think Mama died from?

1 mark

4 Number these events (from the first three paragraphs) to show the order in which they
happened.

Latif saw people in the flat. • They wandered from place to place. • 2c

Mama died. • Ahmed was crying. • 1 mark

5 “Granny looked so old and worn and beaten” (paragraph 3).

Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the word “beaten” in this sentence?
2a
Tick one.

flattened □   bruised □   outperformed □   defeated □ 1 mark

2b
6 How did the narrator meet Samar and Mrs Zainab?

1 mark

7 These events happened during a war. Find and copy three words or phrases that help you to
2f
understand what that must have been like.

2 marks

8 Which of these predictions is most likely to be correct? Tick one.

The family will continue to wander the streets. □

The people in the flat will welcome them and be kind to them. □
They will fight the people in the beautiful flat and take it away from them. □
The people in the flat will show them a different place to live. □
2e
Write a quotation from the text that you used to make your prediction.

2 marks

9 What has changed between the beginning and end of this extract?
2h
Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

3 marks

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 Unit 4 • FICTION

The Librarian
from A Career in Witchcraft by Kaye Umansky

  1 Mr Smike wasn’t fond of children. Noisy, ill-mannered little brats with their
shrill little voices and grubby little hands. The less he had to do with them,
the better. Normally, he would be over in the reference section of the main
library, but Miss Jaunty, the children’s librarian, had rung in sick and there
was nobody else to fill in.
  6 He cast a jaundiced eye over the place. Picture books, hah! Cushions,
jigsaw puzzles, mobiles, posters, murals, double hah! This wasn’t a proper
library. It didn’t have QUIET notices all over the place. There wasn’t even a
box marked FINES. Great hordes of schoolchildren had been in and out all
day, putting their unwashed fingers all over the books. The place had been
chocka-block with chattering mums pushing buggies full of snotty-nosed
toddlers who waddled around the place getting underfoot. They treated the
place like a hotel. It wasn’t his kind of library at all.
14 Oh well. Thankfully, it was nearly closing time. With a bit of luck, the
Jaunty creature would be back tomorrow dispensing books and smiles and
organising poetry competitions and storytelling sessions and whatever else
the silly woman did to keep the little monsters happy.
18 Briskly, he gathered up his papers, slipped them into his briefcase and
clipped his pen into his breast pocket. He would finish the list of overdue
books at home. It would
be something to look
forward to after supper.
Then, if there was time,
he would write another
of his complaining
letters to the local paper.
(Mr Smike wrote a lot
of complaining letters
to newspapers. It was a
kind of hobby. He wrote
letters about the state of
the drains, the surliness of
dustmen, the laziness of
the unemployed and the
trouble with Youth today.
If the paper didn’t publish
them, he wrote and
complained about that.)

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 Unit 4 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Mr Smike “wasn’t fond of children” (paragraph 1). Find and copy two phrases in the text that 2g
show this.
2 marks

2d
2 What does the word “hah!” (paragraph 2) tell you about Mr Smike’s attitude towards picture books?
1 mark

3 “... the Jaunty creature would be back tomorrow dispensing books”. Which of the following
2a
words is closest in meaning to the word “dispensing” in this sentence? Tick one.

handing out □   medicating □   sharing □   withholding □ 1 mark

4 “With a bit of luck, the Jaunty creature would be back tomorrow.” (paragraph 3). What does
2g
the underlined phrase tell us about Mr Smike’s view of his colleague?
1 mark

5 The author tells us that Mr Smike does not like children. Find two other ways she makes him
2d
seem an unpleasant character.
2 marks

2b
6 List two things Mr Smike would expect to find in a ‘proper’ library.
1 mark

7 Using information from the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement
from the text is a fact or one of Mr Smike’s opinions.
Fact Opinion
Miss Jaunty had rung in sick.
This was not a proper library.
2b
Thankfully, it was nearly closing time.
Mr Smike wrote a lot of complaining letters to the newspaper. 1 mark

8 Match the paragraph number to its summary statement.

paragraph 1 How Miss Jaunty encourages people into the library

paragraph 2 How the children’s library is used by the community

paragraph 3 What Mr Smike likes to do after work 2c

paragraph 4 Why Mr Smike is in the children’s library 1 mark

9 How does Mr Smike’s mood change between the beginning and end of this extract?

Give one idea from each place in the text, using evidence from the text to support your answer.

2h

2 marks

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 Unit 5 • FICTION

The Crime Solvers

Kate Ruttle

  1 When she felt the buzzer gently vibrating on her wrist, Lily put her hand up
and asked to be excused from the lesson. Monsieur le Roux was displeased at
the interruption but reluctantly gave his permission. Lily left the room swiftly
and made her way to the nearest quiet place.
  5 “What?” she whispered to her watch, trying not to inhale too deeply. The
cleaning fluids on the shelves around her mingled with the musty aroma from
the damp mops.
  8 “It’s Nick,” said her watch. “Ahmed cracked the code in the message we found.
It’s definitely tonight. We think they’re going to try to rob the jewellers. But we
don’t know who and we don’t know how.”
11 “I’m on my way,” said Lily. Minutes later, she left the building via the
basement so no-one would ask what she thought she was doing.
13 Back at headquarters, Lily looked at the message that Ahmed had decoded.
“Alright,” she said. “We may not know how or who, so let’s think about what
we do know.”
16 “Well,” Nick screwed up his face as he tried to remember everything he had
found now. “Tonight is their annual party. When I say ‘party’, I expect it’s
lots of overweight old men in suits standing around and being polite to each
other.” He made a face. “But that means that the jeweller’s doors will be
open and no-matter how good the doormen are, when it gets busy, they can’t
always see who’s squirming in around the edge of a crowd.”
22 “Excellent.” announced Lily. “If the robbers can get in that way, then so can
we. And if we’re caught, we’ll say we were testing their security.”
24 Ahmed gulped and nodded. He preferred to solve problems sitting at his
computer. But if he was needed at the jeweller’s he’d be there. He wouldn’t let
his team down.
27 “What else do we know?” asked Lily, turning to face him.
28 “They’ve had a suspicious visitor,” he offered. “I sneaked a look at their CCTV
recordings earlier. There was a customer wearing a long black coat roaming
around the stockroom. That’s odd in itself. But the visitor was particularly odd.
He kept limping for a bit, then he’d walk normally, then he’d start limping
again.”
33 “Perhaps he only limps when his leg gets tired,” suggested Lily.
34 “Yes, but that wouldn’t explain why his limp swapped legs,” replied Ahmed.
“Anyway, not only did he have this strange limp, but he wore a hat with a
very wide brim and whenever he was in sight of a camera, he looked down.
His face was never caught on camera.”

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 Unit 5 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 In the second paragraph, the word “inhale” is closest in meaning to which of the following?
Tick one.

sniff □ breathe in □ 2a

sneeze □ feel sick □ 1 mark

2b
2 Where was Lucy at the beginning of the extract?

1 mark

3 In the paragraph beginning “Well,” Nick screwed up his face……”, what impression do the
2a
words “When I say party” give?
1 mark

4 In the paragraph beginning “They’ve had a mysterious visitor …”, what does Ahmed’s use of
2g
the word “sneaked” tell you?

1 mark

5 Number the events to show the order in which they happened.

Ahmed told Lily about the mysterious visitor. •

Ahmed cracked the code. •
Lily arrived at HQ. • 2c

Nick contacted Lily. • 1 mark

2d
6 How did Ahmed feel about going to the jewellers?

1 mark

7 Why did Ahmed think the customer in the long black coat was suspicious? Give two reasons,
using evidence from the text to support your answer.

2d

3 marks

2e
8 What do you think Lily plans to do at the bank?
1 mark

9 Tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.
True False
Lily is a teacher.
Nick had found out about the party at the jewellers.
Lily was worried they might be caught. 2b
Ahmed is good at working computers.
2 marks

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 Unit 6 • FICTION

Linbury Court Preparatory School

Anthony Buckeridge

1 According to the Linbury Court School time-table, the last hour before bedtime
each evening should have been spent in recreation – a blissful period of
freedom, one might suppose, when everybody could do exactly as they wished.
4 But not when Mr Wilkins was on duty! … For then the evening’s activities
had to be planned and organised down to the last detail. Nothing roused his
wrath more keenly than the sight of small boys wasting their free time in
futile and fruitless occupations.
8 “Come along, come along, come along!” he boomed, striding into the
common room one Wednesday evening … “I want to see everyone settling
down to do something sensible. No messing around with conkers; no
flipping paper pellets. And none of this aimless mooching about, watching
other people and doing nothing yourselves.”
13 He glanced around the crowded room, noting with approval that most of
the occupants were already engaged in various hobbies, or were playing
studious games of chess … Atkinson and Bromwich major, their fingers sticky
with balsa-wood cement, were constructing model aircraft; Binns minor and
Blotwell, the youngest boys in the school, were pummelling plasticine into the
shape of unlikely looking animals. Thompson was painting; Rumbelow was
absorbed in leather-work; Martin-Jones was selecting his World football team
to play against Mars at some future date … The room buzzed with activity.
21 Mr Wilkins was satisfied. Everyone was busy: everything was just so.
22 He was about to resume his tour of the building when his gaze strayed to the
far corner of the room and came to rest upon two boys who appeared to be
idling away their precious hour of leisure to no good purpose.
25 The taller of the two, an eager friendly looking boy of eleven, was swinging
himself gently to and fro in the narrow gangway between two tables which
he was using as parallel bars. His companion, who was fair-haired, earnest
and bespectacled, was perched on a near-by radiator, tattooing a
sea-serpent on the back of his hand with a cross-nibbed fountain pen.
30 Mr Wilkins bridled
indignantly. “Jennings!”
he called.
33 The human pendulum
ceased his to-ing and
fro-ing and made a rapid
forced landing on the
runway between the tables.

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 Unit 6 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Find and copy one phrase from the first paragraph that tells you that the pupils can choose
2a
what to do during recreation time.
1 mark

2d
2 Who is Mr Wilkins?
1 mark

2g
3 Look at the first paragraph. Why does the author use the phrase “one might suppose”?
1 mark

4 Look at the second paragraph, beginning “But not when …”.

The phrase “roused his wrath” is closest in meaning to which of the following? Tick one.

woke him up • confused him • 2a

gave him pleasure • made him angry • 1 mark

2a
5 Find and copy one word from the second paragraph that means the same as pointless.
1 mark

6 Which of these activities does Mr Wilkins approve of? Tick three.

constructing model aircraft • playing conkers •

flipping paper pellets • selecting a football team • 2b

playing chess • swinging on tables • 1 mark

7 Number the events to show the order in which Mr Wilkins did them.

He felt satisfied that everyone He noticed two boys idling

was busy. • away their time. • 2c

He bridled indignantly. • He strode into the common room. • 1 mark

8 Compare Mr Wilkins’ reaction to seeing the boys engaged in their hobbies with his reaction to
spotting the two boys in the far corner.
2h

2 marks

9 How is this school different from yours?

Give two ways, using evidence from the text to support your answer.

2d

3 marks

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 Unit 7 • FICTION

Zhou Chou and the Three Beasts

A legend from China retold by Kate Ruttle

  1 Everyone in the village feared and hated the bully, Zhou Chou.
  2 One day, the priest asked him, “Why do you squander your time worrying
us little people? A man with your talents should be battling ferocious beasts,
not frightening small children.”
  5 Zhou Chou glowered. “What beasts?” he asked.
  6 “Three beasts live nearby. They are the scourge of our town,” exclaimed the
priest. “Why don’t you scare them away? Or are you worried that they are
too powerful for you?”
  9 “Nothing is too powerful for me!” declared Zhou Chou.
  10 “The first beast terrorises the people and steals their children. It is a wild
tiger,” said the priest. “Can you help us with it?”
  12 “Consider it done!,” smirked Zhou Chou, displaying the bulging muscles in
his arms.
  14 Taking his weapons, he hurried to the tiger’s lair. The tiger was sharpening its
claws on a rocky outcrop. Zhou Chou fired a swarm of fierce, fast arrows at it.
  16 “That was well done,” said the priest when Zhou Chou returned to the town
wearing the tiger skin as a cape. “Now can you defeat the second beast – a
water dragon that terrifies the fishermen and keeps them from their shoals?”
  19 Zhou Chou found a boat and rowed out onto the lake. For three days, he teased
and pestered the dragon until it became frustrated and drew closer, intending to
incinerate him. As it drew in a breath, Zhou Chou struck it with his axe.
  22 “Congratulations,” said the priest when Zhou Chou
appeared wearing a tunic of dragon hide. “Your
biggest challenge, however, is yet to come. You must
tame the fiercest of all the beasts.”
  26 “It doesn’t stand a chance against me!” boasted
Zhou Chou. “Where is it?”
  28 “I am looking at him now,” said the priest.
  29 Zhou Chou staggered back. For the first time in
his life he felt inadequate.
  31 Ashamed, he slunk away from the town and
enlisted in the army. In time, and under the
guidance of their greatest warriors, he became
a skilled general, admired and beloved by his
people.

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 Unit 7 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Look at paragraph 2, beginning “One day, the priest asked him …”.

Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “little”? Tick one. 2a

poor □   small □   unimportant □   young □ 1 mark

2 Zhou Chou glowered. “What beasts?” he asked.

2g
Why did the author use the word “glowered”?

1 mark

3 Find and copy the question the priest asks, which he knows will make Zhou Chou want to fight
2d
the beasts.

1 mark

2b
4 What did Zhou Chou do to show the priest that he was strong enough to fight the tiger?

1 mark

2d
5 How did the priest know that Zhou Chou had defeated the water dragon?

1 mark

6 The priest identifies three beasts.

Which sentence is true for all of the beasts? Tick one.

They frighten people. □

They have sharp teeth. □
They incinerate people. □ 2c

They kill people. □ 1 mark

7 What impression do we get about the character of Zhou Chou before his third task?
Give two things, using evidence from the text to support your answer.

2d

3 marks

2f
8 Which event in the text makes Zhou Chou want to change his ways?

1 mark

2h
9 Explain why people react differently to Zhou Chou at the beginning and end of the story.

2 marks

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 Unit 8 • NON-FICTION

Sir Billy Butlin

  1 Ever been to a Butlin’s holiday camp? They are the brainchild of Billy Butlin,
who was born into the entertainment business and has transformed the
summer holidays of hundreds of thousands of families.
  4 Billy Butlin was born in a fairground caravan in 1899 in Cape Town, South
Africa. When Billy was eight, his mother left South Africa and brought him to
England where they followed his grandmother’s travelling fair. Billy didn’t get
much schooling but his mother made sure that Billy learned his letters and
numbers: showmen needed to be able to handle money and to write adverts
for the fair.
10 In 1920, Billy Butlin started his own business as a fairground showman.
He was very successful and within a few years was the proud owner of
several seaside amusement parks. But he wanted something more. He saw
hardworking families come to the seaside and experience boredom and
disappointment. Sometimes the places they stayed were dingy, the food was
dull and there was little to do in the evening. He began to think about what
families needed for a perfect holiday.
17 1936 saw the opening of the first Butlin’s holiday camp in Skegness. Families
flocked to the resort where they had all the amenities of the seaside combined
with bright and comfortable accommodation, plenty of good food and a wide
variety of evening entertainment. By 1952, there were six Butlin’s holiday
camps in the UK offering good-value seaside holidays.
22 Sir Billy Butlin died in his home in Jersey in 1980. Although the camps have
changed since his death, they still have the same aim to bring ‘a little colour
and happiness into the lives of hardworking families’.

An extract from the Butlin’s website, www.butlins.com

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 Unit 8 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Why do you think the writer begins with a question? 2f

1 mark

2 Tick the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to “brainchild” (paragraph 1). 2a

creation □   brainstorm □   son or daughter □   belief □ 1 mark

2b
3 What did Billy Butlin do when he first came to England?

1 mark

2d
4 Why did not Billy get much schooling?

1 mark

5 Complete this table to show the phrases in paragraph 4 describing the changes Billy Butlin
made from what families experienced in paragraph 3.

Paragraph 3 Paragraph 4
“the places they stayed were dingy” “bright and comfortable accommodation”
“the food was dull” 2h

“there was little to do in the evening”

1 mark

6 Read this sentence from paragraph 4.

“Families flocked to the resort …”.

2g
What is the effect of using the underlined word?
1 mark

2f
7 What is the function of the first paragraph?
1 mark

8 Draw lines to match the dates with the events they mark.

1936 Billy started business as a fairground showman.

1920 The first Butlin’s holiday camp opened.

1952 Billy Butlin died. 2b

1980 Six Butlin’s holiday camps were open. 1 mark

9 What did Billy want to achieve with his Butlin’s holiday camps?

Explain two ideas, using evidence from the text to support your answer.

2d

3 marks

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 Unit 9 • NON-FICTION

Mikael Saves the Day

1 The quick thinking of Mikael Greda, aged 11, may have saved the lives of his
friends. Faced with a possible life-and-death situation, Mikael acted instinctively to
take control of a coach when the driver collapsed.
4 “It was really scary,” said Mikael, a Year 6 pupil, “but I didn’t have time to
think what I was doing. It all happened too quickly.”
6 Mr Clive Strong, headteacher of Ipswich Primary School where Mikael is a
pupil, explained that the coach had been bringing the class back from a
school trip to nearby Stowmarket.
9 “I saw the driver suddenly take a deep breath and hold his arm,” said
Mikael. “Then he sort of fainted. I felt the coach swerving and I just
reacted.” Mikael is no stranger to driving. He started on a quad bike when
he was 7 and now drives a tractor on the family farm.
13 The coach was crossing the Orwell Bridge when the accident was averted.
Mikael succeeded in steering the bus into the inside lane and bringing it
safely to a halt. By the time he had put on the hazard warning lights, Miss
Sarah Fox, the teacher in charge, was already trying to help the driver and
Mikael’s friend Electra Bisset (age 10) had the presence of mind to call the
emergency services.
19 “Mikael’s quick actions undoubtedly saved his classmates from a terrible
experience,” said Chief Inspector Wiggins, first on the scene. “The situation
could have gone in a completely different direction had it not been for
Mikael’s quick thinking. An accident would have affected other road users
and a coach crash could even have damaged the bridge. As it is, no one is
hurt and we have a local hero.”
25 Mrs Olivia Greda, Mikael’s mother said, “We’re so proud of him. He’s always
been quick thinking. But driving a tractor in the farmyard is different from
stopping a coach on a bridge. When I think what could have happened …”.
28 Chief Inspector Wiggins said that the police service would make an award
to recognise Mikael’s bravery and quick thinking. “I hope he will consider
joining the police in a few years’ time. We need more young people like
him,” said the Inspector.
32 The driver, who has not been named, is in Ipswich Hospital recovering from
a suspected heart attack.

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 Unit 9 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Quote the words from the first paragraph that show what action Mikael took to save his 2b
classmates.
1 mark

2 “Mikael acted instinctively to take control of a coach when the driver collapsed.” (paragraph 1)
2a
Which of the following words or phrases is closest in meaning to the underlined word? Tick one.

thoughtfully □   thoughtlessly □   without thinking □   thankfully □ 1 mark

2b
3 Which experiences did Mikael have that helped him to know what to do?
1 mark

4 Using information from the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is a
fact or an opinion.

Fact Opinion
Mikael saved lives.
Mikael knows how to drive tractors.
He brought the coach to a halt. 2b

The driver had a heart attack.

2 marks
2d
5 Mikael was the person on the bus who acted first. Why do you think this was?
1 mark

6 Number these events to show the order in which they happened.

Order of events
He put on the hazard warning lights to keep other vehicles safe.
Mikael saw the driver grasp his arm and faint.
Mikael’s friend Electra called the emergency services. 2c

Mikael steered the bus to the inside lane and brought it to a halt.
1 mark

7 “The coach was crossing the Orwell Bridge when the accident was averted.” (paragraph 5)
2a
Tick the word that is closest in meaning to the word “averted”. Tick one.

avoided □   happened □   explained □   reflected □ 1 mark

8 Mikael’s mother said “When I think what could have happened ...”. Write three events from the
text that could have happened.
2b

2 marks

9 Do you think Mikael was a hero?    Yes □  No □

2d
Explain your answer using quotations from the text.
2 marks

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 Unit 10 • NON-FICTION

The First Hominids

1 When did humans first appear?

About 3 million years ago, the first “hominids” – known as Australopithecus –
appeared in Southern Africa. Ancestors of many of the animals you see
today were plentiful: deer, giraffes, hyenas, cattle, lions, elephants, sharks,
birds … These ancestors are as similar to the creatures you know today as
you are to the first hominids.
7 The early hominids were different from apes because:
• they could walk upright, without using their hands
• their hands were jointed differently: whereas an ape’s hands are perfect
for hanging and climbing, the hands of Australopithecus were perfect for
making and using tools.
12 Their diet was mostly vegetarian, along with some meat, probably obtained
by scavenging. The tools that Australopithecus made were simple, made
mostly from bone and used for digging and scraping.
15 Who came next?
As far as we know, true humans, Homo habilis, first appeared in Africa about
2 million years ago.
18 Homo habilis were taller than Australopithecus and had larger brains. They
often sheltered under cliffs as they followed herds of animals. These early
people soon learned that there was safety in numbers and would band
together to hunt and look after each other. Homo habilis couldn’t make fire.
22 When did people have fire?
Homo erectus date from around 1.5 million years ago. These people looked
more like we do today: they were about the same size as modern humans
although their brains were only two-thirds as big. Homo erectus could make
fire. That meant that the people could now:
• choose where they camped – they didn’t always need shelter
• cook food – making it more edible as well as killing off diseases
• begin to develop a more formal family and social life around the fire.

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 Unit 10 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Why do you think the writer chose to start the piece with an illustration? 2f

1 mark

2g
2 Why are all the headings in the form of questions?

1 mark

3 “Their diet was mostly vegetarian along with some meat, probably obtained by scavenging.”

The word “scavenging” is closest in meaning to which option below? Tick one.

catching and eating animals □ eating animals that are already dead □ 2a

trapping and eating animals □ farming and eating animals □ 1 mark

4 a) Were the lions that were around 3 million years ago exactly like the ones we see today?

Yes □       No □
2d
b) How do you know?

1 mark

5 What is the main way in which Homo erectus is different from Homo habilis?

2h

1 mark

6 Tick the best explanation for why the writer uses bullet points in the last section. Tick one.

to summarise what has already been said □

to explain why Homo erectus had a big brain □
to show the main reasons why life began to change for Homo erectus □ 2f

to show why Homo erectus did not have to hunt □ 1 mark

2f
7 Why did the writer organise the three sections of this text in the order they are in?

1 mark

8 Draw lines to match the different hominids to their diet.

Australopithecus raw meat

2b
Homo habilis mostly plants

Homo erectus cooked meat 1 mark

2c
9 Suggest an alternative heading for the text.

1 mark

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 Unit 11 • NON-FICTION

Brazilian Dance
Liz Gogerly

  1 Capoeira (say /kap-oa-air-a/) is a spectacular mix of martial arts, acrobatics,

music and dance. It combines graceful leaps, flips and spins with powerful
kicks and takedowns.
  4 How to play
A group of players (the capoeiristas) sit or stand in a circle, called a roda.
Two capoeiristas play the game (jogo), in the centre of the roda. They do not
make contact with each other, instead, they combine flowing movements to
“attack” and “evade” each other. Capoeira is a battle of wills and skills, and
everyone gets a turn in the middle of the circle.
10 Music and rhythm
Capoeira is always played to music. People in the roda play instruments or
chant and clap out rhythms. The music sets the pace of the game, and helps
players to coordinate their moves. It includes songs sung in Portuguese that
are played on a group of specific instruments (the bateria).
15 Pulling rank
Like other martial arts, capoeira has a ranking system. Capoeiristas work
hard over many years to achieve the next grade.
18 The student
Once a person starts playing capoeira, he or she is called an aluno or
student. The student has a baptism (batizado) where they are given their
own ranking cord or belt (a cordao) to wear around their waist.
22 The graduate
When a student is good enough to teach others, he or she becomes a graduate
and is called an aluno graduado. While the graduate can teach others how to
play, they cannot be the main teacher or have their own capoeira school.
26 The teacher
Once a capoeirista is good enough to be an
assistant instructor, he or she is called an
aluno formado. After several years of training
under their capoeira master (mestre), an aluno
formado can become a teacher and then they
may run their own capoeira school.
33 Master
Mestre is the highest rank any capoeirista can
achieve. A mestre is a teacher who is given the
title of master by others. Usually the mestre has trained for 15 to 20 years.
37 Capoeira culture
Community and friendship are a huge part of capoeira. People at all levels
play together. Experienced capoeiristas help novices to learn new moves.
Players learn the core values of respect, responsibility, safety and freedom.

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 Unit 11 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Look at the first paragraph.

2b
Capoeira is a mix of different activities. Find and copy two activities.
1 mark

2 “Capoeira is a battle of wills and skills”

Tick one from the list below to complete the following sentence.
2a
This means that as well as testing the capoeiristas’ skills, it tests ...

their strength □  their sense of rhythm □  their kicking ability □  their mind □ 1 mark
2d
3 Why are capoeiristas unlikely to hurt each other during a jogo?
1 mark

4 Find and copy two reasons why music is so important to capoeira.

2b

1 mark

5 Number the capoeira ranks below to show the order in which a capoeirista might achieve
2c
them.

aluno □  aluno formado □  aluno graduado □  mestre □ 1 mark

6 Draw lines to join each word to its meaning.

batizado a belt
bateria instruments
cordao baptism
2b
jogo circle

roda game 2 marks

2a
7 Find and copy one word from the final paragraph that means the same as beginner.
1 mark

2f
8 Why are some words written in italics?
1 mark

9 Tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.

True False
People in the roda can choose to play any instrument.
All players help and encourage the alunos.
Only a mestre can open a capoeira school. 2b

All players who train for 20 years become a mestre.

2 marks

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 Unit 12 • NON-FICTION

Digital Responsibility
Ben Hubbard

1 Has an adult ever told you that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind? It may
sound boring, but it is actually true. Smart digital citizens train to be online by
doing some physical exercise every day and getting enough sleep. This keeps
their brains sharp and their bodies in shape for every internet adventure.

5 Healthy digital citizens

In the late 20th century, doctors realised that people were spending too
much time sitting in front of screens. As a result, they were becoming unfit
and prone to health problems. Now, it is understood that children need to
exercise for at least 60 minutes a day to stay healthy.

10 Switch off before sleep

Did you know that staring at a screen before bedtime is like running a race
and then trying to sleep? Turning all your digital devices off at least an hour
before bedtime is the best way of winding down and getting a proper night’s
rest. The online world will still be there in the morning.

15 Avoiding adverts
Have you ever noticed how many advertisements there are online? Adverts
are crammed into every nook and cranny: flashing and popping up at
us and enticing us to click on them. They promise us beauty, success and
happiness if we buy their products. However, clever digital citizens know not
to believe them.

21 Adverts and marketing

Marketing is how adverts target particular groups to sell them things. That is
why many adverts are aimed at kids. Marketers call children under the age of
12 “pesterers”. This is because they don’t have much money of their own, but
often pester their parents to buy them the “latest thing”. Marketers promise the
latest thing will make us happy, but the latest thing is soon replaced by another
latest thing. Smart digital citizens know that buying products can bring a few
moments of pleasure, but it cannot provide us with long-term happiness.

29 Not news
Have you ever clicked on a news story online just to find it is actually an
advert? This is one way clever advertisers trick us into reading about their
products. Sometimes these adverts in disguise are labelled “sponsored
content”, “promoted” or “advertisement”. However, when they are not
labelled we need to keep our wits about us and pause before clicking on them.

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 Unit 12 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Look at the first paragraph.

Find and copy two things that smart digital citizens do every day.
2b

1 mark

2 “Smart digital citizens”

Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “smart”? Tick one.

energetic □
enthusiastic □
intelligent □ 2a

well dressed □ 1 mark

2b
3 Why did doctors start worrying about people spending too much time in front of screens?
1 mark

4 Under the sub-heading “Switch off before sleep”, the author says “The online world will still be
there in the morning.”

Why does the author tell us something we already know?

2g

1 mark

5 Look at the first three paragraphs.

Which of the following would be a good heading for those paragraphs? Tick one.

Be a good digital citizen □

Beware of what you see online □
2c
Care for your body and mind □
Surviving in a digital world □ 1 mark

6 Look at the section “Avoiding adverts”.

2a
Find and copy one word that means the same as tempting.
1 mark

2d
7 Why does the author think we should “keep our wits about us” before clicking on things online?
1 mark

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 Unit 12 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

8 Draw lines to match each section to its main content.

Section Content
“Healthy digital citizens” Children pester their parents for things they see
advertised online.
“Switch off before sleep” Sometimes adverts are disguised as something else.
2f
“Adverts and marketing” Exercise is important for digital citizens.
“Not news” Sleep is important for digital citizens. 1 mark

9 Tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is true or false.

True False
Adverts flash at us so that we click on them.
We should all buy the latest thing shown in the adverts.
Some adverts specifically target kids. 2b

All online news stories are really adverts.

2 marks

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 Unit 13 • NON-FICTION

Who Are Refugees and Migrants?

Michael Rosen and Annemarie Young

1 The war in Syria began in 2011 when protesters marched to demand democracy,
but the government fought back. Since then, more than 5 million Syrians have
become refugees, over 1 million of whom live in camps in Jordan. Muzoon
Almellehan is a Syrian refugee, now living in the UK.
5 I am only one girl but, like all girls, I have dreams. My dream is to go to
university and to be a journalist. When I am a journalist, I want to tell the
stories of different people and different countries, so we can work together.
8 Before the war, we lived in Dara’a in Syria where my father was a teacher.
I loved to go to school. But when war came he could not go to work and
going to school was too dangerous. Sometimes there was no food. So we
went across the border to the kingdom of Jordan, which gave safety to us
and many other families.
13 In Jordan, we lived in two refugee camps. Life was not easy, but I was lucky
because I was in camps where there were schools. I am also lucky because I
have parents who believe in education, especially for their daughters.
16 We need education because Syria needs us. Syria needs engineers and
teachers, doctors and journalists. If young people are not educated, who will
rebuild the country? Without us, who will build peace?
19 I share the same message as my friend Malala: Education is power.
Education is the future. Education makes us who we want to be.
21 Some people call us the Lost Generation. We are not lost. We have not lost
our love of learning. We have not lost the dreams for our future.
23 We have not lost hope. Syria will never be the same as it was before the war.
I hope it can be better.
25 One day, when I am a journalist,
there is a story I want to write. I
want to write the story of how all
the Syrian children came home to
lift up their country.
30 I hope that story starts now.

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 Unit 13 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

1 Look at the paragraph beginning “In Jordan …”.

What made Muzoon think she was lucky when she was in Jordan? Tick one.
2b
Life was easy. □ She could go to school.   □
Her parents were with her. □ There was plenty of food. □ 1 mark

2 “If young people are not educated, who will rebuild the country?”
Find and copy a group of words from the paragraph beginning “One day …” that means the 2a
same as “rebuild” in this sentence.
1 mark

2b
3 What does Muzoon think is the most important thing for the children of Syria?
1 mark

2g
4 Why might some people call Syria’s children “the Lost Generation”?
1 mark

5 Find and copy two reasons why Muzoon does not think they are “the Lost Generation”.
2b

1 mark

6 Look at the paragraph beginning “One day …”.

2f
How do the ideas at the end of this text link back to the beginning of the text?
1 mark

7 Which of the following would be the most suitable summary of the whole text? Tick one.

Girls and boys need dreams. □

Education is important for girls. □
2c
Journalists write interesting stories. □
Syria’s children can rebuild the country. □ 1 mark

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 Unit 13 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

8 Using information from the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is
true or false for Muzoon.

True False
She wants to be a journalist and write about her experiences.
She thinks education is important for everyone.
She wants to live and work in the UK. 2b

She hopes that Syria can be rebuilt.

2 marks

9 Do you think Muzoon will return to Syria when she finishes her education, if it is safe to do so?
Tick one.
Yes □ No □
Explain your answer using ideas and evidence from the text.
2e

1 mark

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 Unit 14 • POETRY

Foreign Lands
Robert Louis Stevenson

  1 Up into the cherry tree

Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.

  5 I saw the next door garden lie,

Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.

  9 I saw the dimpling river pass

And be the sky’s blue looking-glass;
The dusty roads go up and down
With people tramping in to town.

13 If I could find a higher tree

Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.

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 Unit 14 • POETRY

Name: Class: Date:

1 Is the narrator of this poem an adult or a child? Explain how you know. 2d

1 mark

2f
2 The poem is divided into verses. Give one reason why the poet starts a new verse.
1 mark

3 The narrator is climbing a tree. How can he see “abroad on foreign lands”? Use a quotation
2g
from the poem in your answer.

2 marks

4 In verse 2, which of the following is closes to the word “adorned”? Tick one.

loved □ decorated □ bright □ empty □ 2a

1 mark

5 How does the river change between the third and fourth verses?
2h

2 marks

2b
6 List two things the poet can see which are further away than next door’s garden.

1 mark

2g

7 What does the word “slips” tell you about how the rive meets the sea?
1 mark

8 In which season do you think the poem takes place? Give two pieces of evidence from the text
to support your answer.

2d

3 marks

2f

9 How do the things the poet sees change from verse to verse?
1 mark

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 Unit 15 • POETRY

If I Had Wings
Pie Corbett

1 If I had wings

   I would touch the fingertips of clouds

     and glide on the wind’s breath.

4 If I had wings

   I would taste a chunk of the sun

     as hot as peppered curry.

7 If I had wings

   I would listen to the clouds of sheep bleat

     that graze on the blue.

10 If I had wings

   I would breathe deep and sniff

    the scent of raindrops.

13 If I had wings

   I would gaze at the people

     who cling to the earth’s crust.

16 If I had wings

   I would dream of

    swimming the deserts

      and walking the seas.

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 Unit 15 • POETRY

Name: Class: Date:

1 Why do you think all of the verses begin in the same way? 2f

1 mark

2 Match the senses with what the writer would focus on.
sight people
hearing the sun
smell clouds of sheep 2b
touch fingertips of clouds
taste raindrops 2 marks

2g
3 Why does the poet compare the sun to “peppered curry” (verse 2)?

1 mark

2d
4 In real life, which creatures might “glide on the wind’s breath” (verse 1)?
1 mark

5 “... that graze on the blue ...”

a) Why did the writer choose the underlined word?

2a
b) Suggest an alternative word to replace it with.
1 mark

6 What do you think the poet means by “clouds of sheep” (verse 3)?
2g

1 mark

7 The last verse is:

“If I had wings
I would dream of
swimming the deserts
and walking the seas.”
How is this verse different from the previous verses? Give two ways.
2h

2 marks

2c
8 Write a sentence or two summarising what the poem is about.

The poem Wings is about 1 mark

9 Do you think the poet would like to have wings?    Yes □ No □

Explain your answer fully, referring to the poem.
2d

2 marks

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 Assessment Task 1 • FICTION

From The Mozart Question by Michael

Morpurgo
The question I am most often asked is always easy enough to answer.
Question: how did you get started as a writer? Answer: funnily enough, by
asking someone almost exactly that very same question, which I was only
able to ask in the first place by a dose of extraordinarily good fortune.
I had better explain.
My good fortune was, of course, someone else’s rotten luck – it is often
that way, I find. The phone call sounded distraught. It came on a Sunday
evening. I had only been working on the paper for three weeks. I was a cub
reporter, this my first paid job.
“Lesley?” It was my boss, chief arts correspondent Meryl Monkton, a lady
not to be messed with. She did not waste time with niceties; she never did.
“Listen, Lesley, I have a problem. I was due to go to Venice tomorrow to
interview Paulo Levi.”
“Paulo Levi?” I said. “The violinist?”
“Is there any other Paulo Levi?” She did not trouble to hide her irritation.
“Now look, Lesley. I’ve had an accident, a skiing accident, and I’m stuck in
hospital in Switzerland. You’ll have to go to Venice instead of me.”
“Oh, that’s terrible,” I said, smothering as best I could the excitement
surging inside me. Three weeks into the job and I’d be interviewing the
great Paulo Levi, and in Venice!
Talk about her accident, I told myself. Sound concerned. Sound very
concerned.
“How did it happen?” I asked. “The skiing accident, I mean.”
“Skiing,” she snapped. “If there’s one thing I can’t abide, Lesley, it’s people
feeling sorry for me.”
“Sorry,” I said.
“I would postpone it if I could, Lesley,” she went on, “but I just don’t
dare. It’s taken more than a year to persuade him to do it. It’ll be his first
interview in years. And even then I had to agree not to ask him the Mozart
question. So don’t ask him the Mozart question, is that clear? If you do he’ll
like as not cancel the whole interview – he’s done it before. We’re really
lucky to get him, Lesley. I only wish I could be there to do it myself. But
you’ll have to do.”
“The Mozart question?” I asked, rather tentatively.
The silence at the end of the phone was long.

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 Assessment Task 1 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 What sort of writer is Lesley?

2 Find and copy one word from the first five paragraphs that tells us Meryl Monkton was very
upset when she made the phone call.

3 Describe Meryl’s character. Use evidence from the text to support your description.

4 How do you know Paulo Levi is famous? Tick all that apply.

Lesley knows straightaway that he is a violinist.

The name Paulo Levi is famous.

Meryl says “Is there any other Paulo Levi?”

Lesley refers to “the great Paulo Levi”.

5 Do you think this story is set in the past, present or future? Explain how you know.

6 Why does Meryl order Lesley not to ask about the Mozart question?

7 Why do you think “The silence at the end of the phone was long”?

8 What do you think will happen in Lesley’s interview with Paulo Levi?

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 Assessment Task 2 • FICTION

From The Demon Headmaster by Gillian Cross

Dinah sat up in bed for a long time that night, a stiff little figure in a white
nightdress, hugging her knees. She knew that there was something wrong about
the school, with its well-behaved children, all doing the right thing at the right
moment, but she could not understand what it was. And she knew that she did
not like the Headmaster at all. She could not understand why she kept saying
how wonderful he was. She hated not understanding things.

In the end, she did what she always did when things baffled her. Slipping quietly
out of bed, she pulled back the curtains so that the room was lit by moonlight from
outside. Then she went to stand in front of the mirror. Pale and prim, her reflection
stared back at her, the eyes thoughtful and the mouth pursed up, considering.

“Well?” she murmured. “What’s wrong? Why is the school so peculiar?”

Gazing into her own eyes, she suddenly knew that answer. Fear. It’s because
they’re all afraid.

She nodded briskly. Yes, that was the right answer. “But what are they afraid of?”

The reflection stared back, unwinking, and she heard the reply in her head.
That’s what you’ll have to find out.

“How?” But she hardly needed to ask. The answer to that one was obvious.

You’ll have to be naughty, and see what happens to you.

Her hands, clasped on top of the dressing table, began to shake slightly, but the
face that looked back at her out of the mirror was amused.

See? You’re afraid yourself, and you don’t know why.

Defiantly, she stuck her chin up and

pulled a face into the mirror. “I don’t
care if I am scared,” she said out loud.
“I want to know, and if that’s the only
way to find out, that’s what I’ll do.”

With a determined hand, she closed

the curtains and climbed back into
bed, feeling as though she had settled
something. Curling up under the
covers, she fell asleep trying to think of
something bad she could do.

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 Assessment Task 2 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 What is the problem that Dinah has in the first paragraph? Explain using evidence from the text.

2 “she did what she always did when things baffled her.”

Suggest a word that the author could have used instead of “baffled”.

3 What does she do to try to solve her problem? Tick the best answer.

She went and opened the window. She stared up at the moonlight.

She stood in front of the mirror. She went back to bed.

4 Number the following events from 1 to 5 in the order they happen.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She opens the curtains.

Dinah could not sleep. She decides what she is going to do at school.

She decides why the school is so strange.

5 What does Dinah decide she needs to do at school? Explain why she decides this.

6 Find and copy one word from the final paragraph of the text that tells us Dinah had made up
her mind or “settled something”.

7 How do Dinah’s feelings change between the start of the text and the end? Explain using
evidence from the text.

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 Assessment Task 3 • FICTION

From Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The mist was heavier yet when I got out upon the marshes, so
that instead of my running at everything, everything seemed
to run at me. This was very disagreeable to a guilty mind.
The gates and dykes and banks came bursting at me through
the mist, as if they cried as plainly as could be, “A boy with
Somebody-else’s pork pie! Stop him!” The cattle came upon me
with like suddenness, staring out of their eyes, and steaming
out of their nostrils, “Halloa, young thief!” One black ox, with
a white cravat on – who even had to my awakened conscience
something of a clerical air – fixed me so obstinately with
his eyes, and moved his
blunt head round in such
an accusatory manner
as I moved round, that I
blubbered out to him, “I
couldn’t help it, sir! It wasn’t
for myself that I took it!”
Upon which he put down his
head, blew a cloud of smoke
out of his nose, and vanished
with a kick-up of his hindlegs
and a flourish of his tail.

All this time I was getting on towards the river; but however fast
I went, I couldn’t warm my feet, to which the damp cold seemed
riveted, as the iron was riveted to the leg of the man I was
running to meet. I knew my way to the Battery, pretty straight,
for I had been down there on a Sunday with Joe, and Joe, sitting
on an old gun, had told me that when I was ’prentice to him,
regularly bound, we would have such Larks there! However, in
the confusion of the mist, I found myself at last too far to the
right, and consequently had to try back along the river-side,
on the bank of loose stones above the mud and the stakes that
staked the tide out.

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 Assessment Task 3 • FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 In the first paragraph, which words or phrases give the impression that the narrator (Pip) is in a hurry?

2 What words and phrases tell you that the narrator has done something he knows is wrong?

3 The ox reminds Pip of a minister in the church who wears a white clerical collar. What other
ways did the ox make him feel bad? Tick True or False to the following statements.

True False
It looked at him as if it was accusing him of doing something bad.
It stared at him.
It stopped him escaping.

4 What clues in the text tell you it was written about 150 years ago?

5 How does Dickens create the atmosphere of cold, damp and mist? Pick out at least three
phrases he uses to do this and explain how they help to create the effect.

6 Pip compares the cold with the leg-iron of the man he is going to meet. What effect does that have?

7 What did Joe mean by “such Larks”? What does this tell you about the relationship between Joe
and Pip?

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 Assessment Task 4 • PLAYSCRIPTS

From Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Scene: The living room

Present:  ichael, Wendy, John, Mr & Mrs Darling, Nana (the dog).
M
Mr & Mrs Darling are ready to go out for the evening. It’s time for
Michael’s medicine.
Mr Darling: Be a man, Michael.
Michael: Won’t; won’t!
Mrs Darling: I will get you some chocolate for afterwards. (Exit Mrs Darling.)
Mr Darling: Mother, don’t pamper him. Michael, when I was your age I
took medicine without a murmur. I said, “Thank you, kind
parents, for making me well.”
Wendy: That medicine you take, father, is much nastier, isn’t it?
Mr Darling: Ever so much nastier, and I would take it now as an example
to you, Michael, if I hadn’t lost the bottle.
Wendy: I know where it is, father. I’ll bring it! (Exit Wendy.)
Mr Darling: (shuddering) John, it’s most beastly stuff. It’s that nasty, sticky,
sweet kind.
John: It will soon be over, father. (Wendy enters.)
Wendy: (panting) I have been as quick as I could.
Mr Darling: (sarcastically) Wonderful. Michael first.
Michael: (suspiciously) Father first.
Mr Darling: I shall be sick, you know.
John: Come on, father.
Mr Darling: Hold your tongue, John.
Wendy: (puzzled) I thought you took it
quite easily, father.
Mr Darling: That is not the point. The point is, that
there is more in my glass than in Michael’s spoon. And it
isn’t fair: I would say it though it were with my last breath;
it isn’t fair.
Michael: (coldly) Father, I am waiting.
Wendy: Why not both take it at the same time? Ready? One, two,
three. (Michael takes his medicine, but Mr Darling slips his behind
his back. Michael yells.)
Wendy: Oh, father!

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 Assessment Task 4 • PLAYSCRIPTS

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 Why do you think Mr Darling says “Be a man, Michael”? Tick one.

because Michael is tall, like a man

because he wants Michael to be brave, like a man

because Michael is old enough to be a man

2 What sort of person do you think Mr Darling is?

3 How does Wendy see her father? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

4 Number the events below from 1 to 5 in the order that they occur in the text.

Michael takes his medicine.

Wendy gets father’s medicine.

Mrs Darling offers Michael chocolate.

Mr Darling says he has lost his medicine bottle.

Michael will not take his medicine.

5 How does Mr Darling’s attitude towards medicine change during the course of the extract?

6 Your group is going to perform this script. Your teacher will tell you which part you will be
reading. Practise acting it out and then perform it for the class. Think about whether the
audience enjoyed it, and whether you think you acted your character well.

7 When you have seen all the other groups perform, say which ones you think portrayed the
characters best. Did any of them make you change your mind about the characters? Explain
your answer.

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 Assessment Task 5 • NON-FICTION

NEWS
Africa Europe World Latin America Middle East UK US

11-year-old boy discovers a

woolly mammoth!
A Russian boy has stumbled across a massive prehistoric
woolly mammoth!
Scientists say it is the best discovery of its kind since 1901.

Yevgeny Salinder, 11, whose family lives near a polar station in the
northern Taymyr Peninsula, discovered the frozen, well-preserved
animal when he was strolling along the banks of the Yenisei River.
The boy’s family told scientists about the find.

“He saw something sticking out of the ground – it was the

mammoth’s heels,” said Alexei Tikhonov, director of a Russian
zoological museum, who rushed to the river. He said it was the
best-preserved adult mammoth discovered in more than 100 years.

“So far we can say it is the mammoth of the century,” Tikhonov said.

The scientists spent five days digging out the huge creature. They said
the mammoth had died aged 15–16 around 30,000 years ago, adding
that it had one 1.5-metre-long tusk.

“Its skeleton is virtually intact and its heart in the rib cage may be
intact, too.”

Now scientists will study the one-tonne mammoth and there have
been suggestions that they may try to clone it – meaning that woolly
mammoths could walk on Earth again!

What do you think about cloning the woolly mammoths? Do you

think it’s a good idea? Let us know in the comments section below.

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 Assessment Task 5 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 Find and copy one word that tells us this discovery was made by chance.

2 How does the author convey the importance of this find? Give some examples of words and
phrases to support your answer.

3 The article makes the discovery feel very exciting. Explain how the author does this.

4 Why do you think the author left the information about cloning until the end of the article?

5 Why does the article ask for your comments about cloning at the end?

6 Tick one box in each row to show whether the statements from the article are fact or opinion.

Fact Opinion

Yevgeny Salinder saw something sticking out of the ground.

The mammoth’s heart may be intact too.

Mammoths could walk on Earth again.

The scientists spent five days digging the mammoth out.

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 Optical Illusions
Bridget Riley Sometimes pictures can use colour, light
and patterns to create an image that
Early Life can mislead our brain. Our eyes look at

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Bridget Riley was born in 1931 in something and then our brain tries to
London. When World War II broke out, interpret what we see. Sometimes this
she left the city and moved to Cornwall. tricks our brain into seeing things that
She used to walk along the coastline and are not real.
explore the caves, where she would sit
and watch the reflections in rock pools.
Assessment Task 6 • NON-FICTION

She also liked looking at the sea and how

the light made it change colour during Do these pictures
the day. look like they are moving? Op Art
Can you make your own
This style of painting is
optical illusion?
known as op art. This
is a style of art where
the artist overlaps
First Exhibition colours and patterns
to make an optical
In the 1960s, Bridget Riley first exhibited her black and
illusion. This can
white abstract paintings. People were amazed at how
create an impression
they seemed to move. It was like she was painting with
where the picture looks
electricity and the patterns were live wires!

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like it is moving when
you move!

Art Sales
Bridget Riley became famous and, in 2006, her picture Training
Diagonal Curve sold for $2.1 million, which was a new Bridget Riley trained at
record for her! In February 2008, her picture Static 2 was Goldsmiths College and
sold for even more money – an amazing $2.9 million! the Royal College of Art.

You may photocopy this page

06/03/19 1:25 PM
 Assessment Task 6 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 Name two things that Bridget Riley enjoyed as a child that inspired her paintings.

2 What is op art?

3 What is an optical illusion? Tick the best answer.

It is a trick.
It is something that appears to be different from what it is.
It is made by people who like to play tricks on you.

4 Draw lines to place the new information below into the most appropriate section of text.

Her picture Chant 2 sold in July 2008 for $5.1 million. Early Life
She lived with her mother and her sister Sally. Art Sales
They occur because our brain is trying to interpret what we see. Op Art
This is a style of visual art where the pictures look as if they are moving. Optical Illusions

5 In the extract, what are her pictures compared to, and why do you think this is?

6 Why do you think the ‘bubble’ feature is included in this extract?

7 Using the information in the text, tick one box in each row to show whether each statement is
true or false.

True False
Bridget Riley’s most expensive painting was Digital Curve.
Bridget Riley trained at Goldsmiths Colllege.
Static 2 was sold for $2.9 million.
Bridget Riley first exhibition was in the 1960s.

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 Assessment Task 7 • NON-FICTION

Senses
Why do I have senses?
Your brain is responsible for everything your body does,
from the rate at which your heart beats, to deciding whether
it is safe to cross the road. But your brain is enclosed in a
safe, dark space inside your skull, so how does it know what
your body needs to do? The answer is that your senses are
constantly sending information to the brain, which it uses to
make decisions. Senses are the links between your brain and
what your body is experiencing.

I have five senses, right?

When you were young you probably learned that most
people have five senses- sight, hearing, touch, taste and
smell – which give us information about the world outside of
our bodies. These 5 senses were first identified by the Ancient
Greek philosopher Aristotle almost 2500 years ago. Most
scientists today agree that Aristotle was right about the fact
that we have senses, but entirely wrong about the number of
senses.

Internal senses
If you are hungry, cold or tired, your brain needs to
react and direct your body to do something to change
the situation. Your interoceptive sense gives your brain
information about the state of your own body. Knowing that
you need to eat, drink and be warm are important survival
skills. Nociception, the awareness of pain, is another sense
that is important in survival.

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 Assessment Task 7 • NON-FICTION

Senses that link the inside and outside worlds.

Can you stand on one leg with your eyes shut and touch
your nose? If you can, you are using two important senses:
balance and proprioception. Balance allows you to stay
upright, even if you’re standing on a slope. Proprioception is
the awareness of where your body is and how the different
parts of it relate to other parts. How do you know where your
nose is if you can’t see it?

So how many senses do we have?

Scientists disagree on this, but most think that we have
between nine and 31 senses. They don’t disagree about what
we sense, but some argue that the word ‘sense’ identifies
what we learn about the world whereas others think that
different sensory mechanisms should be identified as
different senses.

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 Assessment Task 7 • NON-FICTION

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, and then answer the questions.

1 What are your senses for?

2 Who first identified that we have 5 senses?

3 How does the author help you find information about different types of senses?

4 Find and copy one word from a heading that means the same as ‘Do you agree?’

5 How is the interoceptive sense different from the first 5 senses to be identified? Give two ways.

6 Why is the sense of interoception important for survival?

7 Why is there no definite answer as to how many senses we have? Tick one answer.

Scientists think we sense different things in different ways.

Scientists disagree about what we sense.

Different people sense the world in different ways.

Scientists do not agree on what the word ‘sense’ means.

8 Summarise the key information in Senses in as few sentences as possible.

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 Assessment Task 8 • POETRY

The Peacock by Cynthia Ryder

The peacock, With regal pomp

somewhat overdressed he gloriously unfurls
for an ordinary day, the iridescent splendour
comes rainbow shimmering of his jewelled tail
across the ordered lawns. and, emperor-like, stands proud.

His sweeping tail But then, he goes too far;

brushes the close-cropped grass, he tries to sing.
as, with the merest bow, An eerie, plaintive wail rings out.
he accepts the adoration A noise not fitting in the least,
of the gaping crowd. for such a sumptuous king.

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 Assessment Task 8 • POETRY

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 At the start of the poem, why is the peacock described as being “overdressed”? Tick the
best answer.

He is wearing lots of clothes. His clothes are very colourful.

His clothes are very fancy for a normal day. He is going to show off.

2 Write two things we know about the peacock’s tail from verse 3.

3 Draw lines to match what each verse is about.

Verse 1 The peacock makes a noise.

Verse 2 The peacock appears.

Verse 3 Everyone stares at the peacock.

Verse 4 The peacock opens his tail.

4 What image does the poem give you of the peacock at the start, and how does this change at
the end of the poem?

5 Using the poem, tick one box in each row to show whether the statement is true or false.

True False
The peacock is on a well-kept and tidy lawn.
The peacock does not like lots of people.
The peacock keeps his tail feathers hidden.
The peacock does not have a good singing voice.

6 “An eerie, plaintive wail rings out.”

Give two other words that the poet could have used instead of “eerie, plaintive”.

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 Assessment Task 9 • POETRY

On Turning Ten by Billy Collins

The whole idea of it makes me feel
like I’m coming down with something,
something worse than any stomach ache
or the headaches I get from reading in bad light –
a kind of measles of the spirit,
a mumps of the psyche,
a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,

but that is because you have forgotten
the perfect simplicity of being one
and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.
But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.
At four I was an Arabian wizard.
I could make myself invisible
by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.
At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

But now I am mostly at the window

watching the late afternoon light.
Back then it never fell so solemnly
against the side of my tree house,
and my bicycle never leaned against the garage
as it does today,
all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,

as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.
It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,
time to turn the first big number.

It seems only yesterday I used to believe

There was nothing under my skin but light.
If you cut me I could shine.
But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,
I skin my knees. I bleed.

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 Assessment Task 9 • POETRY

Name: Class: Date:

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1 How does the child in the first verse of the poem explain how he feels about turning ten? Give
evidence from the poem to explain your answer.

2 Explain what the poet means by the line “the perfect simplicity of being one”.

3 What does the child in the poem think will change now he is ten? Find examples from the poem
to explain your answer.

4 “all the dark blue speed drained out of it.”

What impression does this give you of the boy’s bicycle?

5 What do you think the poet is saying in the last verse?

6 How do you think the poet wants to make readers feel? Explain your answer.

7 What do you think this poem is about? Tick one answer.

feeling ill

growing older

saying goodbye

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